Birthday Wishes
by XRachX
Summary: JT. For Baby Kitty. Happy belated birthday. A tad melancholy but over all a sweet birthday fic.


AN: For Ren, who for the past two years has forgotten to tell me it was her birthday until the actually day – TODAY. December 5th. So here it is, happy birthday hunnie, enjoy the present. Yeah, yeah, I'm a few days behind - sue me. Actually, don't, please.

Disclaimer: Not mine. But can we pretend they are Ren's? Just for today.

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Birthday Wishes

Tommy stared down at the envelope in his hands as he sat in the Juice Bar. It was late afternoon but he still hadn't opened it. The familiar yet long-forgotten scrawl of his name across the envelope both terrified and excited him. The ink long faded from sixteen years locked away in safety. He was so lost in tracing his fingertips over the well-worn edges that he didn't hear the group of teenagers bound their way across to him.

"Hey man, what's this? Sending love notes to lover boy now, are ya?" Zack asked as he snatched the envelope up from Tommy's hands as he bounced around and opened it without looking. He was just teasing and Tommy knew that but it broke his heart to watch as the envelope fluttered to the table.

"Dear Tommy," Zack started, "Ooh, one you received, guess I was wrong, eh? Now, let's continue, 'You're only a few days old, only mine for a few hours and I'm sitting staring at you, I can't tear my eyes from you. You're beautiful, I doubt I could love you any more than I do right now…'" Zack's voice slowed to a more sombre pace and he paused, realising he'd overstepped a mark. He should never have opened this yet the next words caught his eye and he had to continue as he saw Jason wrap his arms around his silently crying boyfriend.

"'You'll be seventeen when you open this, I hope, assuming your Dad hasn't lost it by then, you know how forgetful he can be. Happy birthday, my beautiful little boy. Won't be my little boy any more then, or now, will you though. I know seventeen seems a strange age but you know us, or you should do by now, we're not a very typical family; eighteen would be too much of a traditional age for you to receive this. We're nothing if not traditional.

"'I just had to write this and let you know how much I love you. Now, as this tiny, fragile baby and how much I will in the future, when you receive this, as the mature young man you'll no doubt grow into. Never doubt mine and your father's love for you, you may not be ours by blood but that means nothing to us. You are ours though choice and if we had to do it all again we'd chose you over and over again. Your our little boy Thomas - Thomas, sounds so grown up for a little baby, Tommy, yes, Tommy's more apt – and we have always and will always love you.

"'I hope you're having a wonderful seventeenth birthday and if you've begged, cajoled and pleaded enough we've probably bought you the car you've no doubt been asking for.

"'Oh, I have to go, you're waking up. You're always cranky when you wake, probably the same now, actually, probably worse with all the teenage hormones. Anyway, love you and happy birthday, son.

"'Love, Mom… oh, and Dad. x'

"I'm so sorry Tommy, I didn't mean to…" Zack just trailed off and handed the letter across to him.

"It's okay," Tommy told him, unshed tears brimming in his eyes as he nestled into Jason's shoulder. Abruptly he pulled away and stood, "I just…" He stopped and turned, walking quickly from the Juice Bar.

Jason was quick to follow but paused at the door to look back ofer his shoulder and call to hi friends. "Look, we might not have known it was his birthday, he obviously didn't want us to but, see if you guys can throw something together, Mom will let us use my place just organise whatever we need."

"Don't worry Jason," Trini told him quietly, "We'll organise everything, just go look after him. See you at yours around 6."

----

Jason jogged into the park, down towards the lake. Tommy had to be here, there was no where else he would head to, except the command center and he's already checked in with Zordon, than their place.

Just as he suspected, Jason round the corner and spotted his lover. He sat, letter clutched in his hands, knees pulled up to his chest, under an old willow tree near the edge of the water. He was staring out into middle distance, mind obviously somewhere else.

As Jason knelt down in the grass next to him he said nothing. Simply lent against the tree trunk, bark pressing uncomfortably into his back as he pulled Tommy into a tight embrace. He knew there were more tears to come, Tommy's adoptive parents meant the world to him, even if they had been ruthlessly taken from him in a car crash four years ago.

The letter had obviously been written just after his adoption, meant as a gift from mother to son to show how much she truly cared, whether genes said they weren't family or not. No doubt she never knew how much it would come to mean to her son. Even more than she first intended it to. Then again, it was highly doubtful she'd ever have known she was going to be leaving him at the tender age of thirteen.

Not knowing what else he could do, Jason simply held Tommy close and let him cry it out into his chest. The least he could do was keep him safe, he may never have met her but he knew it's what she would've wanted him to do for her only son.

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(Later that evening)

Jason led Tommy up the path to his house and smiled down at him, "Feeling better?"

"Much." Tommy answered, leaning up to kiss him lightly, punctuating the answer, almost. "Sorry I didn't tell you it was my birthday, I just, it's been a while since I've had anyone who'd even care."

Jason pulled him into a tight hug just outside his front door and whispered vehemently into his ear, "We all care, never doubt that. All the guys, my family and me. Especially me. Never, ever doubt that I care, about every little thing."

Tommy nodded and pushed open the door. It was the first time he'd ever entered ahead of Jason and it was a major step forward. Clara kept telling him he could treat the place as his own but he'd never felt comfortable in doing so. Inside Jason cheered at the extra bit of familiarity and comfort Tommy was showing.

Jason wrapped his arms around his boyfriend from behind and slowly walked him into the living room. He flicked on the light switch and braced himself for:

"SURPRISE!"

To his credit Tommy only jumped a little bit. Could've been worse, Jason could've lost a limb. Instead he just smiled at his friends and turned in the circle of his lovers arms.

"Thank you," He whispered, kissing him softly.

Jason just smiled.

"Happy Birthday, Tommy."

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Come on guys, all review with birthday wishes for the aging Baby Kitty, who, for the last time, is NOT old past her prime, or decrepit. 


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